1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to protective covers for fiberoptic scanner mechanisms.
2. Description of Prior Art
In boiler furnaces, such as those burning coal or lignite, it is desirable for safety reasons to monitor flame conditions in the furnace. Typically this has been done by fiberoptic systems with fiberoptic scanner bundles having lens heads located at or near the hot face at appropriate monitoring locations in the furnace. The fiberoptic scanner bundle was located in flexible tubing or piping which extended for lengths of several feet or more from a mounting guide on the furnace wall at the hot face through exterior portions of the furnace. The flexible tubing was necessary because of the absence of a straight path or route to the monitoring location from the furnace exterior.
So far as is known, it has been the practice in the past to shield the fiberoptic bundle within a mounting guide inside a cylindrical protective shield or collar tube. The protective collar tube was an extension of the protective covering and the fiberoptic bundle had to be snugly fitted within the mounting guide at the hot face. However, as the bundle was inserted through the tubing or piping, the shield collar would often engage or snag on the inner portions of the tubing. The fiberoptic bundle often did not as a consequence satisfactorily reach its proper position in the mounting guide. Additionally, the shield collar would become dented or damaged particularly in situations such as during its insertion, often as a result of contact with inner portions of the tubing. The fiberoptic bundle was thus in other situations improperly mounted because of damage which it received during its insertion.